Setup
by Goddess33
Summary: Joey is feeling depressed and lonely, but is his friends' scheme to set him up with Marik really going to make him feel better?
1. Setup

Setup

Author's Note: This one is actually a gift, written for my friend CharcoalCat who posed the challenge in the reviews of my last story, "White Reflection." So, Cola-kitty, this one's for you!

***

Nine o'clock on a Friday night, and Joey Wheeler was so bored he could cry. Appropriately enough, a dismal little thunderstorm caused the already dark night to further dampen his mood. He paced around his bedroom for the better half of an hour, just trying to figure out what to do.

The problem wasn't just the boredom, but he was lonely too. This had been a frequent condition recently, Joey realized as he reflected back on it. It seemed like all of his friends were hooking up. It wasn't fair! 

Finally tired of pacing, and hoping the power wouldn't go out, Joey flopped down on his bed and grabbed the phone. All he needed was just someone to _talk_ to. He was so sick of being lonely. His fingers went through the automatic movements of dialing Yugi's number.

**

Seto groaned when he heard the phone ring, pulling Yugi closer to him and growling meaningfully, "Don't answer it." 

Yugi just smirked up at his boyfriend, returning to the task of closing his teeth on the skin between Seto's neck and shoulder, just hard enough to leave a little red spot that looked like flower petals. There had been a reason the CEO had taken to wearing high collars lately. 

But the phone continued to ring insistently, for so long that even Kaiba got tired of listening to it, reluctantly releasing Yugi to let him answer it. Hoping to make this quick, Yugi dug through his overnight bag until he found his cell phone.

"Hello?" he asked as he answered the phone, hoping he didn't sound as distracted as he was. Seto was not a patient person, and having Kaiba's wandering hands over him did not make it easy for Yugi to carry on a social call.

"Hey Yug, what's up?" came Joey's cheerful voice. "Almost thought you weren't gonna be answering, but I knew that wasn't like you…"

"Joey?" Yugi blinked, a little surprised his friend had called him so late at night. "Is there something the matter?"

"Nah, just bored, thought we could talk…"

Seto growled. "Tell the puppy you're busy," he ordered, sitting back and folding his arms, managing to look forbidding and sulky at the same time. 

Joey obviously heard Kaiba's voice through the line. He sounded a little disappointed. "Oh, you over at Kaiba's? Sorry if I'm interrupting anything…" 

"No, no Joey, it's okay!" Yugi reassured him, shooting a glare at Seto to silently command him to be nice. Seto just glared back at him. 

The cheerfulness was back in Joey's voice, but it sounded forced this time. "Nah, it's okay Yug, I'll just talk to you tomorrow. Wouldn't wanna get on rich-boy's bad-side, now would I?" Before Yugi could protest, Joey hung up. 

**

Joey glared at the phone in his hand for a long while after that, before finally dialing Yami's number. If he was lucky, the Pharaoh wouldn't be too busy to talk. 

But surprisingly, it was Bakura's voice on the answering machine that finally picked up. "You've reached the residence of Yami and Bakura. I'm probably getting laid right now, and in any case I don't really care about you or your pathetic problems. But if you leave your name, number, and the nature of your whiny-assed complaint, I will call you back when I give a damn." _–beep- _

Joey sighed, leaving a message on the machine. "Hey guys, it's Joey. Feeling a little bummed and I was hoping for someone to talk to, but it seems like the whole world is too busy getting screwed to bother with me. But if you people ever decide to come up for air, give me a call." 

He hung up the phone, and flopped back on the bed. "My life sucks." 

***


	2. Operation: Puppy Love

Operation: Puppy Love

Yami, Bakura, Yugi, Seto and Ryou were all gathered in Kaiba's living room that Saturday afternoon. After Joey's calls to them on Friday, they were becoming rather concerned about them. Well, Yami, Yugi and Ryou were concerned about him; Seto and Bakura were only here because their boyfriends were. 

Using his soda can as a sort of gavel to acquire everyone's attention, Yami cleared his throat and began. "I call to order the first meeting of the 'What To Do About Joey Because He's Starting To Act Weird' Committee." 

Everyone glanced at Yugi, who had come up with the club name. Looking a little sheepish, Yugi just shrugged. Kaiba grumbled and spoke up.

"I already told you what we should do with the puppy; send him to a kennel." Seto folded his arms. "Is this going to take long? I actually have some _real_ meetings, with actual importance, that I should be attending." 

Yami raised an eyebrow at him, then looked to Yugi. "Yugi, kindly give Kaiba a reason why it is in his best interest to stay." 

Sighing slightly, Yugi looked over at his boyfriend. "Seto, please don't make me blackmail you. You know I hate it when I have to." 

Seto gave his diminutive love a reproachful glance. "And what is it you have to hold over my head this time?" 

Yugi smiled at him sweetly. "Not only would you not get laid for the rest of the week, tomorrow morning at approximately four a.m., Mokuba will discover where you hid his candy stash this time." 

Kaiba's eyes widened briefly at the not-so-veiled threat, then settled back in the armchair he was sitting in. "Alright, I'll stay." 

"Alright, now that that is settled," Yami continued. "I believe everyone has noticed how strangely depressed Joey has been lately, despite his poor attempts to hide it. Last night he left a rather cranky message on my answering machine…" Yami shot an un-amused look at Bakura. "…which I believe you took the liberty of changing the recording on?" 

"Hey, you told me to change the recording on it," Bakura said with a smug grin. "You didn't tell me what it was supposed to _say_. So I adlibbed." 

"Can we get to the point here?" Ryou finally interjected, tired of this mock-bickering between his friends. "Joey's depressed and lonely and we have to do something about it."

"Well what can we do about it?" Yugi asked. "We've tried to spend time all in a group like we used to, but some of us… like to spend time alone a little more often these days." 

"Exactly," Ryou replied. "You four all have someone, and Joey doesn't."

"Neither do you," Bakura pointed out.

"But unlike Joey, I don't have a problem with that," Ryou said, smiling. "I've come to realize my life is a lot less hectic when I'm not around people who tend to get challenged to games of Duel Monsters with the world and peoples' lives at stake." 

"So if the puppy is so lonely, get him a playmate," Seto muttered, brushing some imaginary lint of his immaculate suit. 

Yugi blinked, then squeaked happily and jumped into Seto's lap, hugging him. "That's a perfect idea! We'll just hook Joey up with someone too, and then he won't be lonely when we…"

"…are too busy getting fucked to spend time with him?" Bakura finished for him. 

Yugi flushed a bright red color at the crude language, choosing not to reply to that. 

"But the question is, set him up with who?" Yami asked. 

Everyone looked at Ryou, the only one in the group without a lover. Ryou's eyes widened, and he shook his head quickly.

"Me with Joey?" he nearly squeaked. "You must be joking. He and I have nearly nothing in common. He's fine for a friend, but I can hardly imagine…" He shook his head again, clearly finding the idea somewhat distasteful. 

"Alright, not with Ryou then," Yugi murmured. "Who else do we know that might go for it?"

The group was silent for a while, silently running through the names of everyone they knew, trying to think of anyone that might possibly be compatible with Joey.

"This is impossible," Bakura finally grumbled. "There's a reason Joey's single; _he's a freak_. Someone would have to be crazy to even consider the idea. We may as well try to set him up with… with… _Marik_ for all the good it will do." 

Yami smiled slowly. "Well… why not Marik?"

Yugi looked at Yami like the Pharaoh had lost his mind. "Because Marik is insane. How can you even think of that?"

"Well, Bakura did say someone would have to be crazy to go out with Joey," Kaiba said with a slow smile. "And Marik is definitely crazy. Who knows? They'll either get along wonderfully, or kill each other. It's a perfect solution."

"We want Joey happy, not dead!" Yugi said with a pout. 

Yami smiled at Yugi. "Actually, I think I know a way to get them together, and keep them from trying to tear out each other's throat." 

Bakura raised an eyebrow at his lover. "How's that?"

"Just trust me." 

**

Monday afternoon, Marik was sitting at a lunch table in the school courtyard, drinking a soda and giving the group a you-must-think-I'm-crazy look. "You want me to do what?" 

"Go out with Joey," Yugi repeated himself, smiling hopefully. "He's been really lonely, and we think if you tried to be nice, you two would actually get along rather well."

Marik gave them all another long look, drinking hard through the straw, though there was barely more than a drop of soda left in the can. He did this more for the irritating gurgle sound it made than to actually get the last drop out. Finally he said, "Why the Hell would I want to do that?" 

"Well, for one thing, you'd finally have someone to sit with at lunch," Ryou said, looking around at the other students, who kept a far distance from Marik.

Marik snorted, dismissing the reason and waiting for them to try another one. 

"You'd finally be doing a nice thing for someone?" Yugi offered.

That one got a laugh from Marik, the sort of laugh that made everyone inch another few feet away from him. "Try again," he ordered.

Yami finally spoke up. "If you go out with Joey, act nicely and actually get along with him, I'll give you the Millennium Puzzle." 

Marik's eyes widened, and he tossed the soda on the ground, standing up and grinning at Yami. "You've got a deal, Pharaoh."    


	3. Things Unexpected

Author's note: A lot of people have been asking this so I wanted to clarify; yes, it is Yami Marik in this story, the lord of creepiness. Dark evil and frankly psychotic Marik. And I pray Marik's voice sounds better in the Japanese version of the anime…  

Things Unexpected

**

_The Millennium Puzzle_. The treasure he coveted above all others. And here the Pharaoh was, offering to _give_ it to him. No duels, no tricks, just as a reward if he managed to seduce one Joey Wheeler.

_And how hard could that be?_ Marik thought as he strode along the sidewalk. Joey was a loudmouth, bragging, over-eating amateur of a duelist. He couldn't be very bright. But Marik was sort of looking forward to this little game. It was hard to resist the chance to manipulate someone, and for once he was actually encouraged to. Besides, it'd be fun to play with Joey. Not that he'd admit this to anyone, but Joey was kinda cute. 

He estimated that he could make Joey his in a little less than three days. Then he could have the Millennium Puzzle, and a new slave to play with besides.

A shame he couldn't just use the Millennium Rod on Joey, Marik thought as he approached Joey's house. But Yami and the others had forbidden it, and they would know if he'd cheated. It was a pity, but it didn't change the fact that he was still going to win. 

Confident in his own competence, Marik knocked on Joey's door. 

"Yeah yeah, I'm comin'!" Joey called from inside. There was a shuffle, and a moment later Joey opened the door.

Marik tried for a nice smile. Joey slammed the door in his face.

"Hey!" Marik pounded on the door, hard and angrily this time. 

"Go away, you freakin' creep!" Joey shouted from inside. "I'm not in the mood to deal with your insane plots and weirdness right now!" 

"Damn it, that's not what I'm here for!" Marik shouted back. "Can't I come by to just talk?"

Joey opened the door again and glared at him. "Are you the good Marik, or the bad Marik?"

"Not in Kansas anymore, are you, Toto?" Marik said with a grin. "Guess you'd probably consider me the bad Marik." 

Joey glowered at him. "Then fuck you." 

"Offering already?" Marik asked with his usual maniacal grin. "I was thinking dinner first, but if you're _that_ horny…" 

"Alright, what do you want then?" Joey asked, huffing slightly. Marik had to be one of the most aggravating people he'd ever met. 

"I told you; dinner," Marik said. 

"I'm not on the menu," Joey snapped.

_Not yet, anyway,_ came an unbidden thought, making Marik's grin bigger. "You really should stop being so paranoid. I'm not here to eat you either. I just noticed you being a little depressed lately, and thought I'd come by to cheer you up."

"Since when do you come by just to 'cheer people up'?" Joey demanded, folding his arms and glaring.

"Since now," Marik said, reaching out to flick a few stray hairs out of Joey's face. "I _like_ you, Joey. It's not a crime to do something nice for someone you like." 

Joey blinked at him, taken somewhat off guard. "You like me?"

Marik smiled and nodded. "Mm-hmm. Just come to dinner. We can even go to a public place so you won't have to be paranoid that I'll kill you or something." 

"Well…" Joey hesitated.

"I'll even pay," Marik offered. 

And just as he'd expected, the offer of free food was too much for Joey to resist. "Alright! I'm there! Lead the way!" 

**

And all the way home from the restaurant, Joey tried to figure out what was making Marik act so weird. All through dinner, Marik had been… _nice_. Well, not nice per se, for neither he nor Joey could keep up politically correct politeness and mannerisms for more than five minutes, but Marik had just the right level of pleasant crudeness to make Joey feel comfortable in his company. 

They'd talked, made fun of overly snotty and stuck up waiters, made fun of the people at school, and even managed to get to know each other somewhat. Every time Joey tried to catch Marik off guard and make him act like the freakishly cruel psycho everyone knew him to be, Marik would make a noncommittal gesture or murmur, and calmly change the subject.

So the question was, _what the hell had happened to Marik?_ And why had Joey enjoyed spending time with him so much? 

Joey had never done so much thinking at one time before, and frankly, his head was starting to hurt from the effort. So he gave that up and just enjoyed having Marik walk with him home. 

After he'd unlocked the door of his home, Joey turned to say goodnight to Marik. But he didn't get much of a chance to say anything, because Marik stepped forward and kissed him.

Joey was still standing there stunned when Marik drew back, still smirking in that psycho way of his. "See you tomorrow then, puppy," Marik said, using the nickname affectionately though he knew it irked Joey to no end. And since Joey was just standing there staring at him, Marik shrugged, turned, and walked away. 

As Joey watched Marik walk off, only one thing really registered in his mind. He didn't seem to mind being called "puppy" so much when it was Marik who called him that.

Marik hummed softly to himself as he walked back home along deserted sidewalks. He had plenty to think about, and lots to plan besides, and yet one thought stood out, making him smile. That being; Joey Wheeler tasted _good_. 


	4. Sisters

Sisters

**

Marik realized he shouldn't really have been surprised when he came home and found Ishizu waiting up for him. That didn't stop him from finding her presence annoying. Honestly, she acted more like a prison guard than family.

"Where have you been?" Ishizu demanded the moment he was inside the house. "You know I expect you to come home immediately after school." 

"Why don't you just consult your Millennium Necklace if you're so eager to know?" Marik sneered as he went and flopped down on the couch, pulling out his school planner. He read over his list of homework, trying to decide which ones to shred, and which would be more fun to burn. 

"I already did," she replied, seeming to recover her normally calm attitude. "You were out with Joey Wheeler. Now why would that be?"

"Why do you care?" he asked, sounding bored. He pulled out his math homework and a pair of scissors, cutting the paper up into millions of little pieces.

"I want to be certain you are not up to your old tricks," Ishizu said. "Even with my Millennium Necklace, it is hard to make sure you're not getting into trouble. The time you spent with Joey could be part of a plan I am not yet aware of."

Marik glared at her, standing up and throwing his history book across the room so it crashed into the lamp, making it crash to the floor. The room went dark.

"Isn't it possible that I just spent time with him because I _like_ him?!" Marik yelled at Ishizu. "Not everything I do is to further my ambitions! You don't have to watch me all paranoid every second of the day!" He stomped into his room and slammed the door. 

Ishizu could be such a pain. Steal a bunch of rare cards and try to take over the world just _once_, and she had to go and make a federal case about it. 

**

Serenity looked up from her homework and smiled as her brother came in. "Have a nice time at dinner?" 

"Hard to tell yet," Joey said thoughtfully as he tossed his jacket on the floor, stretching a little. Serenity got up to put her brother's jacket away. 

"What do you mean, hard to tell?" she asked him.

"Dinner was fine. It was the company I was in that was a bit… off. Marik is one hell of a weird guy," Joey said, going to sit down and flip through the TV guide. Nothing good on. Well that's okay, his life was already turning into a soap opera. Or maybe a horror movie, he couldn't quite tell which yet.

"Odd that he just comes by at random and asks you out to dinner," Serenity commented as she returned to her homework. "Why do you think that would be?"

"He said he liked me," Joey said with a shrug, "and I'm almost tempted to believe him."

Serenity smiled sweetly at him. "Would you like it if he liked you?"

Joey thought back to when Marik had kissed him earlier, brief though it had been. "Yeah," he said. "I think I would like that. 

***

Author's note: Sorry, short chapter today. But I make up for the shortness of my chapters with the fact that I update nearly every day, don't I? Yeah, thought so. 


	5. Little Step Forward, Big Step Back

Author's note: Hey, I got my first flame today. From someone who even admitted to not reading the story. They appeared to have a problem with my pairing Marik and Joey together. They called me sick and suggested I get counseling.

I would just like to make one thing clear. It is alright if you don't like my story. But if you're going to insult it, I'd like for you to actually read it first. Also, not liking a story is no reason to call the author's mental stability into question. Thank you for your time. 

***  

Little step forward, Big step back

**

Tuesday afternoon, and Joey was having one hell of a time concentrating on his homework. The main reason being, he was still trying to figure out the twisted puzzle that was Marik. They guy's a psychotic freak who wants to take over the world and has no qualms about manipulating people to get what he wants. 

And then he comes over to Joey's house, saying he likes him and taking him out to dinner. The two facts just didn't add up properly. Marik couldn't be a manipulating freak _and_ a nice guy… could he?

There was a knock on the door. Joey sighed and put down his pencil. Marik had said something about coming over today. Guess now would be a good time to figure out the answers to all those troubling questions.

Marik stood outside, with two people Joey didn't recognize standing behind him. The two strangers were laden down with loads of pizza boxes and videotapes. 

Joey blinked, then pointed to the strangers. "You never said you were bringing company. Who are they?"

"I don't know," Marik said with a shrug. "I needed someone to carry the stuff." He twirled his Millennium Rod in his hand. "So I… persuaded them to help."

"You made them mind-slaves??" Joey demanded, his temper flaring. "Aw come on, we thought you were all through with doing that!"

Marik blinked at him, as if he didn't comprehend why Joey was suddenly pissed off. "Why would I stop?"

"Because it's immoral and rude to take over people's minds like that!" Joey shouted at him.

Marik shrugged. "Can I come in?"

"Let them go first!" Joey ordered, folding his arms. 

"Okay. I'm done with them anyway," Marik said cheerfully, as if it were as simple at that. He took the pizzas and the videos from them, brushing past Joey and heading inside. 

Joey blinked at him, then at the two strangers outside his door. "They're still just standing there…"

"Picky, picky…" Marik grumbled. He looked back outside and snapped at the two, "You can go now." 

They wandered off down the street, looking a little dazed. Joey frowned as he watched them go. "You can't go around doing that to people."

Marik was in Joey's living room, opening a pizza box. "Why not? I wasn't hurting them." 

"It's _wrong_," Joey insisted as he closed the door and walked over to glare at Marik. It was hard stay pissed when there were half a dozen pizzas in front of him though. 

"I didn't know what kind you liked," Marik commented, lifting out a slice of cheese pizza. "So I figured I'd give you some options." 

Joey sat down, grabbing some pizza from the open box and gobbling it down. "What movies did you bring?" 

"Anything I could find with blood, guts, or sex scenes in it." 

"Right on!" Joey grabbed his soda from the table where he'd been doing his homework, pushing the pesky math papers off onto the floor. "Movie marathon!" 

But as it turned out, Marik found Joey a lot more interesting to watch than the movie. Joey was a naturally very expressive person, and it was very entertaining seeing the faces he made during the movie. Joey really could be very cute. 

Every so often Joey would glance at his creepy and intriguing guest. And whenever he did, Marik was staring right back at him. It was definitely unnerving, but Marik's interested expression also made Joey shiver a bit in a different way. He supposed he didn't exactly mind Marik watching him.  

When the first movie ended and Joey hit the rewind button on the remote, he looked over at Marik and caught him staring again. "Alright, you've been looking at me for a full hour. Why the heck are you staring at me?" 

Marik gestured to Joey's lower lip. "You've got pizza sauce right there." 

Joey wiped at his mouth to get it. "Still there?" 

"Yep. Better let me get it." And he moved forward and kissed Joey.

This wasn't like the quick kiss from the day before that left Joey momentarily stunned. This was hotter, more intense, and demanded a response. And Joey, after the initial shock of it, couldn't help but give into it. 

But when Marik's hands started to wander of their own accord into improper areas, Joey pushed him away. Marik blinked as Joey stood up and yelled at him.

"I don't know what you're trying to pull here, but I'm not having it!" Joey snapped. 

"What are you talking about?" Marik asked, looking up at him from his seat on the floor.

"Don't you think I've forgotten what you did to me at Battle City!" yelled Joey. 

Marik made a frustrated sound. "Great. Is _everyone_ going to hold that against me?" 

"And I don't know what your big plan is here, but I'm not going to let you use me again. I'm not helping you get any rare cards or the Millennium Puzzle or whatever it is you're after!" 

Marik stood up. "If I were going to use you for _that_, don't you think it'd be easier to just use the Millennium Rod on you like last time?" He picked up said item and twirled it in his hand.

Joey glowered at him. "One of these days I'm gonna shove that damn Millennium Rod right up your ass." 

Marik grinned. "Kinky." 

"Get out of here!" Joey shouted, pointing at the door. "I don't know why I even let you in here in the first place!" 

"The same reason I came," Marik said. "I like you, and you like me."

Joey snorted. "Like hell." He walked to the door and opened it, pointed outside. "Go." 

Marik shrugged, walking past Joey and out the door. "You do like me, and I don't even need a Millennium Item to tell me that." 

Joey watched Marik walk halfway down the block. Then he glowered when he realized he'd been staring, and slammed the door closed.  


	6. So Not Happy

So Not Happy

Marik was deeply displeased by the time he got home. He'd been hoping to keep Joey confused enough that he wouldn't remember the events of Battle City. Even Marik didn't much like to think of those times. Failure was something he tried not to dwell on. 

He slammed the front door open a little harder than he meant to, and a moment later decided he didn't really care that he had. Ishizu looked up from where she was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper.

"Joey threw you out, didn't he?" she asked, forgoing the greeting. "I knew that was going to happen."

Marik glared at her. "Then why the hell didn't you tell me?! Would have saved me the trouble and $60 worth of pizza…"

"Because then I couldn't do this." Ishizu pointed at him and broke into a fit of mocking girlish giggles. 

Marik grumbled a few choice Egyptian curses, stomping into his room. One of these days, she was going to pay for that. 

**

Bakura was bored. And not only bored, but cranky as well. Which was almost never the case when he spent the afternoon over at Yami's but Yami was on the phone. And the longer Yami spent on the phone, the less time Bakura spent getting laid. Yami hated being disturbed when he was on the phone, so he would gently but insistently brush away Bakura's caresses. 

Bakura decided that whomever Yami was talking to was going to suffer excruciating pain the very moment he could arrange for it. In the meantime, he crawled under the bed to go exploring. 

He only caught a few snippets of Yami's phone conversation. Finally he heard Yami hand up, and then the former Pharaoh poked his head under the bed to see where Bakura had gone.

"What are you doing down there?" Yami asked. 

"It's like robbing a tomb," Bakura explained as crawled back out, dragging a heavy cardboard box out with him. "It's dirty and gross sometimes, but often there are neat things down there." He grabbed a comic book from the box, flipping through it. It appeared to have an explicit yaoi Duel Monsters plotline. "Yami, you're such a pervert, look at all this stuff you've got..."

He rifled through the rest of the box's contents, finding more of the same perverted stuff. Yami glanced at some of it and shook his head, managing to keep his regal demeanor. 

"Nothing in that box is mine." He pointed to the name label written in permanent marker on the side of the box. It read, 'Yugi.' 

Bakura burst into laugher as he piled the books back in the box. "Honestly, sometimes I don't know which of you is the lighter side. So who was on the phone?" 

"Joey," Yami replied, pushing the box back under the bed. "He wanted to warn me that Marik appears to be back to his old tricks, and Joey wanted to be sure I guarded the Millennium Puzzle." 

"You really gonna give Marik the Puzzle if he seduces Joey?" Bakura asked. "I mean, you've never so much as offered _me_ the Puzzle."

"Don't get jealous," Yami said with a smile. "I do know what I'm doing." 

**

Author's note; Okay. There is a reason this chapter is short. And that is… I have no idea what I'm doing anymore. I really want to finish this one, since it is a gift for someone I care about very much, but I am so out of ideas here…

So there may be a chapter tomorrow, or… there may not be.  


	7. In Which Things Get Complicated

Author's Note: In one of the reviews I was asked if Bakura was living with Yami. I'm sorry I didn't make this clear before, and I shall now outline living arrangements for everyone.

Yami lives at Yugi's house, but Yugi spends so much time at Kaiba's it's practically Yami's house now.

Bakura lives with Ryou but spends so much time at Yami's house that he's sort of a permanent guest. So no, Yami and Bakura are technically not living together, but they might as well be.

**

In Which Things Get Complicated

**

"And… the Dark Magician destroys the Flame Swordsman." Yugi sighed. "I win again." He looked critically at Joey across the table from him as he gathered up his cards. "You haven't played this badly since I was first teaching you to duel. What's the matter?" 

Kaiba lowered the newspaper he was reading and glanced at the cards set out on the table. "I knew you were an amateur, puppy, but even you should know better than to send such a weak card up against the Dark Magician." 

Joey blinked as if just now realizing his mistake. "Oh…" he began to pick up his cards and absentmindedly shuffle his deck. "Sorry Yuug, guess I'm just a little distracted today. Want to play again?"

Yugi shook his head. "I don't think playing again would help. Want to tell me what's the matter? You're not acting like yourself."

Joey shrugged. "Just been thinkin'…"

Seto snorted and turned the page of his paper, muttering, "_Definitely_ not acting like himself…" 

And as if to prove something was seriously wrong with him, Seto's thinly veiled insult failed to even get a rise out of Joey. Joey just sat there, flipping through his deck, that same blank, contemplative look on his face. 

Yugi shot Kaiba an annoyed look, getting up from the table. "Let's go talk in another room and leave Kaiba to his business news." Joey got up slowly and followed Yugi into the other room.

Seto sighed as he watched them go. Yugi only referred to him as "Kaiba" now when he was really mad at him. Perhaps he'd pushed him a little too far this time.

Yugi rounded on Joey the moment the door was closed behind them. "Alright. What's the matter with you? The only time I've seen you this quiet is when you're asleep, and sometimes not even then." 

"I do not talk in my sleep," Joey muttered. 

"Yes, you do," Yugi said. "But that's not the point. You've been moping around all day. Will you please tell me what's going on?" 

Joey sighed. "I've been thinking about Marik."

"Marik? What about him?" 

"Nothin'. It's just… I wish he wasn't such a greedy prick." Joey sat down on the edge of the table. "Was it ever like that for you? Like, you wished Kaiba wasn't such a jerk so you didn't have to feel bad about liking him?"

Yugi shrugged. "Well, I guess. There were plenty of times he frustrated me. But I know he really loves me, so I just emotionally blackmail him into being nicer."

Joey shook his head. "I don't think that'd work on Marik. He 'said' he liked me… but with guys like that it's hard to believe 'em."

"But you like him anyway?" 

"I dunno." Joey shrugged slightly. "I think I 'could' like him. We get along when he's not being psycho. But I think he likes being psycho a little too much to put it aside for me. I think he's tryin' to use me to get the Millennium Puzzle again. I'm really getting sick of him doing that."

"Well…" Yugi said slowly. "Maybe you should do what I did with Seto."

"Spend so much time around him being cute that he finally couldn't take it anymore?" Joey guessed.

"Um, something like that," Yugi said, flushing slightly. "Just get to know Marik. Talk to him, and try to understand why he does these things. And when you guys understand each other, things will just… click. You can't change a person, you have to make them want to change for you."

Joey raised an eyebrow at Yugi. "You really think that will work?" 

Yugi shrugged. "My other idea was to lock you both in a closet together." 

"I'll go with the first idea." 

** 

"Why are we doing this again?" Bakura asked. His hands fiddled with the pendants hanging from the Millennium Ring. 

Yami glanced up at him from where he was writing hieroglyphics on a piece of notebook paper. "Because if we get this right, Joey will finally be happy."

"Oh." Bakura thought about that. A moment later he asked, "And why is it that we should care if Joey is happy or not?"

"Because he'll quit calling and taking my attention away from you," Yami said with a smirk, ripping the paper out of the notebook and getting up to give Bakura a quick kiss. "And hopefully keep Marik from bothering us as well. Good enough reasons for you?" 

Bakura nodded. "Sounds good to me. Might as well get this over with then." 

Yami lit the think white candle on the desk, holding the notebook paper above it. The paper caught fire burning away into ashes that floated lazily onto the table. Slowly, hieroglyphics etched in green light began to take shape in the candle's smoke.

Bakura clutched the Millennium Ring and began to chant in Egyptian. Yami took a step back so they were standing side by side, his deep voice joining into the chant as he held the Millennium Puzzle tightly. 

Shadow Realm energy rose up around the candle, then carpeted the walls in thick darkness. Neither spirit ceased the incantation even as the candle went out. The eyes of Horus on their Millennium Items began to glow, chasing the darkness away. 

As the dark energies dissipated, they found themselves standing in a throne room of a lovely Ancient Egyptian palace. Yami smiled faintly at the place, seeing that it was exactly as he remembered it.

"Of course it's exactly as you remember it," someone said from the doorway behind them. "This is your memory we're standing in." 

Yami and Bakura turned around to face the massive form of a Blue Eyes White Dragon lounging calmly on the polished Egyptian tiled floor. The Dark Magician stood calmly beside the dragon, bowing low to Yami.

"An honor to see you again, Pharaoh," said the Dark Magician politely. 

"And a pleasure seeing you again as well, Hansha," Yami replied.

Bakura peered up at the dragon. "You're a lot bigger than I remember, Shiroi; you been gaining some weight?"

"Speak politely, little tomb robber, lest I eat you," Shiroi purred back sweetly.

Hansha tapped Shiroi's shoulder with his dark magic staff in reprimand. "None of that, Shiroi, we're here on business." He turned back to Yami. "You wished to speak to us on the matter of your friend, I believe?" 

Yami nodded. "We've been trying to set our friend Joey Wheeler up with a… not so close friend, Marik. Unfortunately it's not been going so well." 

"And we figured since you two were such hot-shot matchmakers, you might be able to help," Bakura added, already looking kind of bored. 

Hansha looked uncomfortably. "That is more a matter for their own Guardians. We are not really permitted to interfere with someone else's charges." 

"Can you put us in contact with their Guardians then?" Yami asked. 

"Leave it to us," Hansha said. "We'll talk to them for you." He looked up at Shiroi. "Would you happen to know who this Joey Wheeler's Guardian is?"

Shiroi thought about it, then made a face, which was most impressive looking on a dragon his size. "The Red Eyes Black Dragon of course. Damn, I was really hoping to not have to talk to her in my lifetime again." At Yami and Bakura's questioning looks, he explained, "Scorned lover." 

"And who is Marik's Guardian?" Yami asked.

"Oh, that one's easy," Shiroi said with a laugh. "Obelisk, of course."

Bakura's eyes widened. "Obelisk the Tormentor?"

Shiroi snickered. "Is that what you mortals are calling him these days? More like Obelisk the Crybaby. He's my sister Midori's youngest son, and he bawls like a little child if he even scrapes his knee." 

Hansha sighed, poking the dragon. "You summon Ruby, I will call for Obelisk."

The two duel monsters concentrated, and slowly two Shadow Realm portals opened, thick with sapphire light and darkness. Out of one stepped a beautifully regal lady, her gleaming black hair tied back, her eyes glimmering brightly red. She paused a moment, shivering slightly, then reshaping herself into the form of the Red Eyes Black Dragon.

The two dragons in the room took up quite a bit of space, and Shiroi grumbled a bit and finally reshaped into his human form, dressed casually in white sweatpants and a t-shirt, inching a little closer to Hansha so he was not so close to the Red Eyes.

The Red Eyes inclined her head toward Yami. "Why Pharaoh, I'd never imagined I would be summoned before you."

Hansha cleared his throat. "Pharaoh Yami, allow me to introduce Ruby, the Red Eyes Black Dragon."

"An honor meeting you," Ruby murmured. "Is there a problem perhaps?"

"Not at all," Yami said. "We're here to discuss the mortal you guard, Joey Wheeler."

Ruby nodded, then narrowed her crimson eyes. "I have protected him well, no harm has come to him lately," she announced defensively.

"No, that's not why we called you here," Yami said calmly. "We're not accusing you of doing a poor job. Actually, we need your help with something."

"As soon as Obelisk gets here…" Bakura grumbled. 

The other portal spit lightning, thunder rumbling throughout the room. Everyone flinched as a massive hand reached through, tearing the portal open much wider, and the ever impressive Obelisk stepped through, shadow realm energy crackling all about him in an impressive display of might. "WHO DARES CALL ME?" thundered his powerful voice, causing the walls to shake.

"Quit showing off and get your butt down here!" Shiroi shouted up at him. 

Obelisk was silent a moment, the thunder and lightning dying down around him. "But Shiroi…!"

"Down!" Shiroi ordered.

Obelisk folded his arms. "You're no fun." And he shrunk to a size a little shorter than Yami, looking intensely pouty. At that size he really did look like the little crybaby kid Shiroi had described him as.

"That's better," Shiroi said. "Now, where were we?"

**


	8. Broken Bodies Everywhere

Broken Bodies Everywhere

**

The Guardian duel monsters talked long into the night over how they were going to get Joey and Marik together. Considering both boys' personalities were something on the extreme- not to mention stubborn- side, it was decided some extreme measures were to be taken. Yami and Bakura had left the Shadow Realm hours ago, as the former tomb robber had other ideas for the evening's amusements, and he'd all but dragged the Pharaoh home.

"So! That's the plan," Shiroi announced. "Not much of a plan, but it'll do. Everyone know what to do?"

Ruby's dragon claws clicked on the polished tile as she drummed her fingers. "And you're certain Joey will not get hurt? Any sign that harm will come to him and I'm calling off this ridiculous plot of yours."

Shiroi raised an eyebrow at her. "You've never cared if other people get hurt before…"

"Things can change in 5,000 years," Ruby said coolly. "I am a Guardian now, and Joey Wheeler's well-being is my highest concern." She grinned at the Blue Eyes. "I just don't care if _you_ get hurt." 

Hansha rolled his eyes and looked over to Obelisk. "You understand your part, then?"

Obelisk had curled up in a corner and fallen asleep. Ruby glowered, taking on her human-form so she could kick Obelisk in the side.

"Wake up, you fool," she hissed at him. "Marik's future is being decided here, and you have a job to do." 

Obelisk yipped as he was jolted awake, blinking at Ruby with wide, watery eyes. All at once he broke into a fit of sobs, bawling and pounding on the floor in a full tantrum. Ruby huffed in annoyance, turning away. 

"Just make sure he gets his part right; it's important," she ordered Shiroi and Hansha. Ruby called up a swirl of Shadow Realm energies, stepping into the portal and disappearing. 

**

Ishizu was really getting sick of watching her brother pace around the house. Honestly, you'd think he actually _cared_ about Joey, the way he was acting. Whatever Joey had said to him must have really crushed Marik's ego.  Marik just couldn't seem to sit still anymore; he wandered in and out of the rooms, grumbling to himself.

"Stupid Joey…" Marik grumbled, kicking the table leg as he walked past it. "You'd think he'd have just a little more faith in a person. It wasn't anything _personal_ when I took over his mind that one time. I bring dinner and try to be _polite_ for once in my life, he could at least give me a chance!" 

"What _are_ you mumbling about this time?" Ishizu demanded. "Would you just forget Joey? You don't care about him, and he obviously doesn't care about you, so why are you wasting your time?"

"Since when did _you_ become such an expert on what _I_ think and feel?" Marik sneered at her. He stomped into the living room and grabbed his coat off the floor.

"Where are you going?" Ishizu demanded as he opened the front door. 

"You have the Millennium Necklace; why do you even bother asking?" he snapped back, walking outside into the gray drizzly afternoon and slamming the door behind him. 

Ishizu sighed. Really, she'd prefer to have him just _tell_ her where he was going, rather than having to magically pry into his life. But if that was the way he preferred it, so be it.

Light glinted off Ishizu's Millennium Necklace as she checked her brother's future. It only took a moment, and she was smiling faintly as the glimmer died down and the room came back into focus around her.

"See you in a few days then, Marik," she commented lightly to the silence. 

**

Marik was feeling especially cranky that day. It seemed like all he could think about anymore was Joey. And the more he thought about how Joey had thrown him out of his home the other day, the more aggravated he became. 

It couldn't be that he was actually starting to _like_ Joey, could it? He was just a means to an end; a way of obtaining the Millennium Puzzle, and maybe someone to have a little fun with along the way. Marik should be thinking about his next move, not about that weird hurt feeling he'd gotten when Joey rejected him. 

Finally he'd decided he needed to get out of the house, away from his thoughts of Joey. Marik clutched the Millennium Rod in his hand, trying to think of just the right spot to cause chaos that night. 

It would be easy to say he was so distracted that he didn't notice the gang of thugs that kept an eye on him from the alleyways. But no, he saw them; he just didn't care. Why should he? He had the protection of a Millennium Item. 

So he didn't bother to even try and look frightened when the thugs snuck out of the hiding places to surround him. He briefly considered making them all his mind-slaves immediately, then decided to at least see what they wanted first. He wasn't in any hurry. 

"That's a real pretty gold stick you got there," announced one, which Marik assumed to be the leader, since he looked marginally less stupid than the rest of them. "Must be worth plenty. Maybe you'd better hand it over to us for safe keeping." 

"Maybe you ought to go to hell," Marik replied with a slightly sadistic smile. Or maybe he'd send them to the Shadow Realm instead of Hell. That would be amusing, wouldn't it? 

The leader's eyes widened a little bit, and there was a silence as he tried to think of a clever retort to that. Coming up with nothing, he growled and pointed at Marik, ordering the rest of the gang, "Get him!"

Marik held up the Millennium Rod as they all rushed him. He'd make them his mind-slaves, then he'd make them grovel. He could feel the magic of the Millennium Item rising as it always did, but then…

…nothing happened. 

He had barely a moment to register that something was wrong before the first fist hit his face. A punch in the gut made him double over in pain, and someone shoved him so he sprawled on the ground.

_What the-?_ He gripped the Millennium Rod so tightly his knuckles were white, willing the item to work, begging it to enslave them so they'd quit it. But the Millennium Item was a cold, lifeless piece of metal in his hands. 

He squeezed his eyes closed as half a dozen people kicked and pounded on him, refusing to relinquish the Millennium Rod to them. So long he'd relied on the Item for protection and power, and now that it didn't work, he had no idea what to do… 

**

Joey whistled to himself as he walked home. The day really hadn't turned out all that badly. He felt a lot better after talking with Yugi, and maybe the little guy was right. Maybe he should give Marik another chance. 

He'd planned to talk to Marik tomorrow, but he found himself pausing on a street corner, considering going right when he'd normally turn left to go home. Joey tried to shake off the feeling, but for some reason it was persistent. And who was he to deny gut urges? With a shrug, he turned right, casually walking toward Marik's house.  

Ishizu didn't look surprised when she opened the door to find Joey on her doorstep. "I'm sorry, Marik's not here right now," she said before Joey could speak. She pointed down the street. "He went that way." 

Joey blinked at her. "Er, thanks." He started off in the direction she'd pointed.

"Better hurry!" Ishizu cheerfully called after him.

He paused, looking back at her and blinked. Ishizu smiled sweetly at him, stepping back inside and closing the door. Joey blinked, an odd sense of urgency rising up in him. Not even stopping to wonder what that meant, he started to run. 

Joey could hear the fighting long before he could see it. A group of six or seven guys were surrounding something on the ground, laughing and taunting and kicking it. Joey slowed as he got nearer, trying to figure out what it was they were beating on.

His eyes narrowed as he caught glimpses of pale blonde hair, and the gleam of a golden Millennium Item in one of the thugs' hands. Joey glowered, grabbing a fist sized rock off the ground and throwing it as hard as he could. 

The one he'd aimed at shrieked as the rock caught him on the back, toppling onto one of the other guys so they ended up in a sort of heap. The gang of thugs turned around the face Joey. Joey was severely outnumbered, and it really didn't look like Marik would be of any help. This had the potential for being a really ugly fight, and the odds were not in favor of Joey winning it. 

The leader shot Joey a glare, then shook his head. "C'mon boys," he shouted to his gang, gesturing with the Millennium Rod for them to follow him. They ran away, the two fallen members scrambling up to follow. Joey blinked as he watched them scatter, having not expected that.

"Cowards!" he yelled after them. They didn't even look back. 

Joey ran up to where Marik was sprawled on the ground. He was a bit cut up, and was going to be bruised black and blue by the morning, but none of the injuries looked serious. 

Marik opened an eye, peering up and his savior in confusion. "Joey?"

"Man, what'd you do to piss them off?" Joey asked, carefully scooping Marik up in his arms to carry him, trying not to hurt him in the process.

"They… wanted the Millennium Rod…" Marik managed. His eyes widened. "Where is it?! Did you see if they got it?" 

"Yeah, they got it," Joey said, walking back toward his house, still carrying Marik.

"Put me down! I have to get it back!" Marik said a little frantically, struggling in Joey's hold.

"Would you quit it? They're long gone by now! And you don't need that damn gold stick anyway. You're gonna hurt yourself more if you keep thrashin' like that."    

Marik stilled, mostly because it hurt too much to keep up the struggling. He was sore all over, even his pride stung. "You don't understand…" he whispered a little brokenly. "I _do_ need it…" 

Joey rolled his eyes. "Well I suggest you get used to living without it; it'll probably be melted down and sold off by the morning." 

Marik looked up at him with wide, horrified eyes. "You're not serious!"

"I suggest you quit worrying about it and try to rest," Joey advised. "You'll have quite a collection of ugly bruises in a few hours." 

Marik fell silent, just letting Joey carry him. In truth he wasn't certain he'd be able to walk, and his pride had already suffered the fatal blow, so there wasn't much use in feeling indignant about the helpless position he was in. 

"Where are we going?" Marik finally asked, looking around. This wasn't the way to his house…

"My place," Joey said. 

"My home is closer," Marik pointed out.

"Yeah, but I wanna keep an eye on you for a few days," Joey replied. "Make sure you don't do anything stupid like go after those thugs that took your Millennium Rod." 

Marik sighed. What a day this was turning out to be. 


	9. Not How It Was Meant To Go

Not How It Was Meant To Go

**

"Well," Ruby said, watching with satisfaction through the mortal-viewing window, "I think that went rather nicely. Wouldn't you say so?"

"You made them _run away_?" Shiroi demanded. "Not only is that completely out of character for thugs like that, but it's highly suspicious. Joey's not _that_ intimidating." 

"I told you, I wasn't about to let Joey get hurt," Ruby replied loftily. "Besides, they'd done their jobs, we didn't need them hanging around and causing more of a mess, now did we? You really didn't have to stick around and watch you know." 

Shiroi glared at her. "After the way you tried to get me _killed_ that one time, I'm not quite sure I fully trust you." 

"Oh, lighten up," she said cheerfully, flashing him a grin full of sharp, pointy dragon teeth. "It was only the _one_ time…" She looked over to where Obelisk was sitting. "You doing alright there?"

Obelisk looked like he'd been pummeled with rocks, but at least he wasn't crying. Yet. "You try blocking the power of a Millennium Item for a while, and we'll see how you fare."  

"And if Joey ever gets a Millennium Item, I'll take you up on that bet. But you know only the Guardian of the holder of the Item can block its power."

Obelisk glared up at Ruby. "You made that up. Just 'cuz you didn't want to be the one to do the job." 

"Alright, maybe I did. But you'll never find out, will you?" Ruby looked positively smug in her victory. Shiroi and Obelisk just groaned and rolled their eyes. 

**

"Ow!" Marik yelped and slapped Joey's hand away. "Stop it!"

"Would ya quit squirming?" Joey snapped back at him. "If you don't let me put this disinfectant on, you'll be real sorry when that cut gets all green and starts oozing puss." 

Marik made a face. "Thanks for the visual." 

"No problem. Now will you hold still?" Joey doused another cotton ball with the disinfectant, lightly dabbing it against the cut on Marik's cheek. Marik winced, but didn't try to smack Joey's hand again. 

"There," Joey said when he was finished cleaning Marik's cuts. He handed Marik an ice pack wrapped in a towel. "Hold this on your eye; it'll keep the swelling down." 

"You've done this before, haven't you?" Marik asked, taking the ice pack and gingerly pressing it over his eye. Again he winced, but this time equally from the cold as from the pain.

"What, the first aid bit?" Joey laughed and nodded. "Yeah, but mostly on myself. Punks always get their butts kicked in the beginning. And then sometimes their friends get _their_ butts kicked, and… well, you can see where the skill would come in handy." 

Joey got up, twisting the cap back onto the disinfectant bottle. "Rest awhile, mmkay? That pretty tanned face of yours is gonna be purple with bruises for the next few days, but if you're lucky it won't last much longer after that." He got up, moving toward the door.

Marik sat up a little straighter. "Hey, wait a minute."

Joey paused in the doorway, watching Marik expectantly. 

Marik hadn't really ever had the need to use the words that expressed his feelings now. But then, he'd never been in a situation like this, so it was understandable why he'd feel just a little flustered. Still, he wasn't sure he _could_ say it, or if it would turn out right if he did. And in the meantime, Joey just watched him and waited.

Marik took a breath. "Thanks." 

Joey grinned at him, shrugging nonchalantly. "No problem." He walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. 

Marik sighed and lay back, holding the ice pack against one eye and staring up at the ceiling with the other. The Millennium Rod was gone, and he was currently a coerced guest of the Wheeler residence. And he was more confused than he could ever remember being. 

And for some reason, he didn't care. Because Joey was here with him. 

This was not the way he'd planned for any of this to go. 


	10. Gift

Gift

**

It was seven in the morning, and Bakura had been awake for hours. Bakura had always been something of a nocturnal person; it sort of came with the position of thief and tomb robber. Yami though, despite his name of "darkness", still preferred sleeping all night and being awake during the daylight hours. But still, somehow he and Bakura got along just fine.

And Bakura never much minded being awake while Yami slept. Sometime in the early morning, while Yami still slept but there was enough sunlight coming through the window to see by, Bakura would pull out the sketchpad he kept hidden in his pillowcase, and would make rough sketches of his sleeping lover. He never planned on showing Yami any of these pictures, but he thought he was actually getting pretty good at drawing the Pharaoh. 

He was working on one such drawing that morning, when there was an insistent pounding on the door downstairs. Bakura glowered, hoping whoever it was would go away. Yami frowned in his sleep, rolling over and pulling the blanket over his head. 

"Aww…" Bakura muttered. "You moved." He shoved the sketchbook back into his pillowcase and stomped downstairs to open the door. 

"What are you doing here?" Bakura growled when he found Joey standing on the porch. "Yugi's at Seto's and Yami's asleep. Go away." 

"Hold it!" Joey said, holding the door to keep Bakura from slamming it closed in his face. "I actually came to talk to you." 

"Me?" Bakura folded his arms. "Why?" 

"Well, I sorta… need your help," Joey said.

"No." And Bakura pushed Joey back so he could slam the door closed.

"HEY!" Joey started to pound on the closed door again. "Don't you even want to know what I need help with?!"

"No!" Bakura yelled back from inside. 

"If you don't open this door I'll make sure you and Yami never get any privacy EVER AGAIN!" threatened Joey.

"I don't care!" was Bakura's reply.

"Yeah, but won't Yami? You think he'll put out in public? And do you _really_ want to have me around all the time?" 

There was a silence from inside, and a moment later Bakura opened the door. "Alright, what is it you want?" 

Joey grinned at him. "You can locate Millennium Items with your Ring, can't you?" 

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "If I'm in their general area. Which Item are you looking for?" 

"The Millennium Rod." 

"Feh, what do you need my help for then? Just go find Marik."

Joey shook his head. "Actually… the Millennium Rod was sort of… stolen." 

"Stolen?!" Bakura growled. "Gods, I knew Marik should have just given the damn stick to me… You owe me for this one." He stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind him, and started off down the street. Grinning, Joey ran to catch up with him. 

**

It was already early afternoon when Joey finally returned back home. It had taken a while for Bakura to pinpoint the location of the Millennium Rod, but after that, things had been oddly easy. Joey still couldn't understand why the gang of thieves had been so reluctant to fight him. They hadn't had nearly so much hesitation in attacking Bakura. Joey hoped Bakura's split lip would heal quickly. He really wasn't looking forward to getting the lecture he knew Yami would be giving him after he found out Joey had put Bakura in even the slightest amount of danger. 

Serenity ran into the living room to hug her brother the moment he was home. Joey hugged her back, then looked around for their houseguest.

"Where's Marik? He run off already?" Joey asked. 

His sister shook her head. "He's in the kitchen," Serenity answered. "He was helping me wash the dishes. Marik's nice, is he going to be staying here a while?" 

Joey blinked at her. Marik, washing the dishes? He couldn't quite picture it. "I dunno. Maybe." He headed toward the kitchen to go see this abnormal occurrence for himself. 

With a rag for drying still clutched in one hand, Marik was standing on his tiptoes, putting away clean dishes on the high shelves of the cupboard. Joey watched with a curious smile on his face until Marik was done with the domestic task.

As if he could sense someone watching him, Marik finished putting away the last plate and turned to look at Joey. "About time you got home. Serenity was starting to worry." 

Joey smiled. Serenity always worried about him. "And you weren't worried?"

Marik lifted a shoulder in a sort of half-shrug. "You can take care of yourself." He pulled another plate from the soapy water in the sink and started to dry it off. 

"That didn't answer my question," Joey said, walking over to lean against the kitchen countertop, watching Marik dry dishes. 

"Is it some habit of yours to just disappear before anyone else in the house is awake?" Marik asked, instead of answering Joey's question. 

"Maybe. Would it bother you?"

Marik put away the dried plate. "It's your house, you can do what you want." 

"Are you avoiding answering me on purpose?" Joey asked.

"Maybe. Would it bother you?" Marik countered with a hint of his usual wicked smile. 

"Yes!"

"Tough." Marik reached into the sink for another dish, but Joey grabbed his wrist to stop him. Marik paused, staring for a long moment at the offset of his own tanned skin against Joey's pale hand, then finally looked up to meet Joey's gaze. 

"I was out getting you a present," Joey finally said. Letting Marik's wrist go, he pulled off the backpack he had slung over one shoulder, digging through it a moment before pulling out the Millennium Rod.

Marik snatched his most precious treasure from Joey's hand when he offered it over. His fingers traced over each familiar curve of the golden object, delighted to have it back in his possession. Joey's eyes were fixed on the way Marik practically caressed the gleaming metal of the Millennium Item. It was almost… indecent the way Marik touched that thing. Still, it took a lot of willpower to look away. 

Marik looked up at Joey again, almost reluctantly. It had been hard enough to thank Joey the first time; how in the world was he supposed to express what he felt now? "Joey…"

Joey smiled back at him, shrugging. "Really, no problem at all. I'll, uh, let you get back to the dishes." He walked out of the kitchen, brushing past his sister, who'd been peering in quietly from the kitchen doorway.


	11. First Chances

Author's Note: So sorry everyone for the lack of updates. I actually did have this chapter written earlier but my computer has been having technical difficulties and I lost all of it. So now I'm rewriting this chapter and I thank everyone for their patience. 

**

First Chances

When Yami and the others had asked him to get together with Joey, Marik hadn't ever really expected to start liking the somewhat aggressive, loudmouthed blonde. But he hadn't ever really expected Joey to be so nice about things either. Joey may have very well saved his life, not to mention getting the ever-precious Millennium Rod back for him. So what was he to do now that nothing had gone the way he'd planned?

Get a new plan, naturally. 

Though he was still uncertain as he stood outside Joey's bedroom door, trying to talk himself into knocking. This was an unusual state of affairs for him; he wasn't used to feeling confused and unsure. He hoped it was a temporary condition. 

_Stupid, _he chided himself, reaching up to knock on the door. _He's not going to say no. Sure he rejected you once, but you mean it this time. _

It wasn't as reassuring as it should have been.

Joey smiled at him curiously as he opened the door. "Hey Marik. I didn't know you were still awake. It's awfully late, isn't it?"

"You're still awake too," Marik pointed out. "What are you doing in there?"

"History homework," Joey muttered with a groan. "I don't suppose you know anything about Ancient Greece?"

"Nope, only Ancient Egypt. Um, if you're busy then, I could talk to you later…"

"Nah, come on in." Joey opened the door a little wider in invitation. "I could use a break anyway." 

Marik stepped inside, mentally going over what he'd planned to say one more time before he said anything. "Joey… I know I haven't given you any reasons to trust me."

"That's for damn sure," Joey commented, sitting down and folding his arms, waiting for Marik to continue. 

"And I haven't been very nice to you or your friends…"

"True that. What's your point?"

Marik took a seat as well, hesitating a moment before going on. This was so unlike him. "I was hoping you could forget all that, and maybe give it a chance."

Joey looked confused. "Give what a chance?"

"You, me; us." 

"What, like together?" Joey nearly yelped, blinking in startled confusion. "Going out and all that?" 

Marik nodded. Joey's eyes narrowed.

"When you first started showing up over here and saying you liked me, that was all a lie, wasn't it?" Joey demanded.

"No! Well, yes. A little. But that was before…" Marik gestured to the bruises that still mottled his skin. "…everything that happened. It's true now."  

"And this isn't some sort of take-over-the-world, take-over-my-mind, laugh-at-how-gullibly-stupid-Joey-is-behind-his-back sort of deal, is it?" Joey pressed.

"No!" Marik insisted. "I'm done with all that. Honest." 

"Honest, huh?" Joey thought about it, then shrugged and smiled. "Yeah sure, why not? Ya don't seem all that bad anymore. We'll give it a try. But no funny stuff." 

"Funny stuff?" Marik asked. "What, like telling a joke?"

Joey laughed. "You know what I mean." 

Marik smirked. "Yeah, I guess I do." He stood up, heading for the door. "I'll let you get back to your homework then-"

"Hey, wait a sec," Joey said, standing up quickly and walking over. Marik paused at the door. "If we're gonna be together then, we oughta act like it." Smiling almost shyly, he pulled Marik a little closer and kissed him. 

It was sort of awkward, as Joey hadn't ever had that much practice kissing people, but Marik didn't seem to mind it all that much. In fact, he seemed fairly pleased when Joey drew back.

"Tomorrow," Marik murmured, lightly tapping Joey on the tip of the nose affectionately, "we'll work on your technique." 

"Heh, will look forward to it." Joey smiled, watching Marik leave off to the guest bedroom. He thought about returning to his history homework, but decided it would spoil the pleasant mood Marik had left behind. Not bothering to change for bed, Joey crawled under the covers, and turned out the light. 

**

Marik was still smiling as he returned to the guest bedroom, hardly seeing the world around him as he flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, contemplating what had just happened. That hadn't been so hard, had it?

Yes, yes it had. 

But the prize was his. Tonight he'd gotten Joey Wheeler. Tomorrow he'd get the Millennium Puzzle. Then he would have everything he wanted. 

**

Seto lay belly-down on the bed, practically quaking with pleasure. "Ah! Yugi… f-fuck, right there… please, harder Yugi!!"

Yugi sighed slightly. "Would you shut up? Mokuba will hear."  

It was apparent Seto was a little too far gone to care, gasping softly, "…don't stop, Yugi…"

Yugi made a face. "How come you never make this much noise when we're having sex?"

Seto stretched leisurely, turning slightly onto his side so he could look at his short boyfriend. "To a CEO, a back massage after a long day of work is almost better than sex. Trust me." 

"I think you keep so quiet just to make me work harder," Yugi muttered with a pout.

"That too."  

There was a knock on the door. Yugi hopped off the bed and ran across the rather large room to answer it.

"Phone for you," Mokuba said, holding the cordless telephone out to Yugi. "It's Ryou. He says it's important."

Seto raised an eyebrow at his little brother. "What are you doing still up at this hour?"

"You expect me to sleep with all that noise you're making?" Mokuba said incredulously. Seto came rather close to blushing.

Yugi finished talking with Ryou, saying goodbye and hanging up. Mokuba took the phone back and ran back downstairs to return it to its place. 

"So what was so important that Ryou had to call so late?" Seto asked.

"Said there was going to be an emergency meeting of the 'What To Do About Joey Because He's Starting To Act Weird' Committee tomorrow," Yugi said. "Marik wants to talk to us about something." 

Seto yawned and stretched. "What a pity, I think I'll be too busy tomorrow to attend." 

Yugi frowned, poking Seto in the side. "…okayyy, but you owe me then." 

Seto smiled at him. "If it gets me out of going, I think I can live with that." 


	12. Love Doesn't Come Cheap

Author's Note: In honor of this being the last day of high school forever for me, here's the next chapter. And if you congratulate me on graduating, there'll be another new chapter tomorrow.

**

Love Doesn't Come Cheap 

The sun was hardly up for more than an hour or two when Marik crept out of the guest bedroom of Joey's house, closing the door carefully behind him so as not to make a sound. He could hear Joey talking in his sleep down the hall, and he relaxed, knowing no one was up to see him leave. 

Everything looked wonderful in the early morning sun. The grass sparkled, the tender green leaves on the threes shivered in the cool breeze. And Marik was feeling good about life in general. Joey had agreed to try out a relationship with him, and in doing so, guaranteed Marik the Millennium Puzzle in the process. How could things get any better? 

Unbeknownst to him, Serenity watched him leave from her bedroom window. Since her eye surgery, Serenity loved to look at things, and some mornings she liked to wake up early to watch the sunrise, delighted she could actually see it. But she was surprised to see Marik leaving so early in the morning. 

She scrambled to change her clothes and tug on her jacket, racing to the door to peer out after Marik. Where was he going? Serenity glanced back toward her brother's room. She could hear him talking from here; he wasn't going to wake anytime soon. Feeling something was amiss, Serenity decided to follow Marik. 

**

Yami, Yugi, Ryou and Bakura were already at the park when Marik got there. They'd brought a picnic breakfast and asked Marik to join them.

"So," Yugi asked as they all started in on the food. "What was it you wanted to talk to us about, Marik?" 

"There really wasn't any need for you all to be here," Marik said. "I just needed to talk to the Pharaoh." Yami raised an eyebrow at him, calm and dignified as always. "You promised me the Millennium Puzzle, Pharaoh, and I'm here to collect." 

Yami lightly touched the puzzle that hung from the chain around his neck. "A little early to have succeeded already, don't you think?"   

"Not so," Marik said with a grin. "You said, go out with Joey, get along with him and be nice, and I've done that. Now pay up."

"When I said that, I expected you to take more than three days to do it," Yami commented. "You're going to have to spend more time with him before you actually earn the Millennium Puzzle."

"But that's not what you said!" Marik exploded. "You never said how long I had to spend with him!"

"So we're clarifying it now," Bakura snapped at Marik. "If you don't like it, you can just forget the Puzzle altogether!"

Marik folded his arms and seethed. "Alright, how long do I have to spend with Joey before you hand the damn thing over?" 

The four talked among themselves. "A month," Yugi finally said. "That should be enough time."

"A MONTH??" Marik yelled. "You must be fucking out of your mind! No way am I waiting that long!"

"Well," Ryou murmured, "how badly do you want the Millennium Puzzle?"

Marik glared at him and didn't comment.

"A month," Yami repeated. "One month with Joey. Then you can have your prize."

Marik stood up, glaring at all of them. "You will regret this." He stomped out of the park.

The four watched him go quietly, then calmly returned to their breakfast.

**

A month with Joey. Had they really said that? Serenity trailed after Marik as he walked back to the Wheeler home. Were Joey's friends really bribing Marik so he'd spend time with Joey? How could they? 

So Marik was doing this for the Millennium Puzzle, not because he liked Joey at all. Once he got the Puzzle, he'd probably just up and leave without so much as a look back. And Joey would be heartbroken. Serenity was feeling a little heartbroken herself. 

**

Joey was awake when Marik got back. He met Marik at the door and gave him a kiss to welcome him back. Marik felt a little better after that.

"Where have you been?" Joey asked. "I wake up and everybody'd vanished!"

"Just went for a walk," Marik said, shrugging. "It was a pretty morning."

"Yeah, guess so. Could have woken me up to come with though." Joey looked as though he was considering pouting.

"The way you sleep? Nothing could have woken you up."

"Yeah, guess you're right. Hey, how about some breakfast then, huh?" Joey started heading for the kitchen. He shot a grin back at Marik. "An' afterward you promised to help me work on my 'technique'…" 

Marik laughed. "How could I have forgotten? Let me put my jacket away and I'll be right there." He headed for the guest bedroom. A month, was it now? They probably thought he couldn't stand to be so nice to Joey for that long. They hadn't taken into account that Marik might actually start to 'like' being with Joey.

No, a month would not be hard at all. Marik just hated waiting. 

**

Serenity entered the house reluctantly, putting her jacket away. She could hear her big brother making breakfast in the kitchen. She went into the kitchen, watching him dig through the fridge. He'd have to find out about this eventually…

"Joey?" she said, her voice a little shaky with the weight of the bad news she carried. "There's… something I need to tell you…"  


	13. It Comes to This

It Comes to This

**

Marik sat on the bed, the Millennium Rod in his hand, staring at it dully. Sometimes, when things got particularly complicated, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. Not often, but sometimes. Like this whole deal with dating Joey in order to get the Millennium Puzzle. Sure, he'd have the two biggest prizes he could ever want, but would he end up having to choose one over the other? Could he really have both Joey and the Puzzle, without losing one?

He heard the door open, and what were now the familiar sound of Joey's footsteps. "Hey Joey, is-" He looked up to find Joey glaring hatred at him. "-something the matter?" 

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Joey shouted at him without preamble. "Did you think I'd never know and go merrily along on my stupid little way?"

Marik blinked at him. "What are you talking about?" 

"What am I talking about?!" Joey yelled. "You lied to me and then you wanna know what I'm talking about?? You said! You said you really liked me, that this wasn't just some scheme to get the Millennium Puzzle! You said that, and I believed you!"

Marik cringed. "I can't imagine what gave you that idea-"

"Save it! Serenity heard the whole thing," Joey snapped. "Just went for a walk, huh? Did you happen to meet up with Yugi and the others on this little 'walk' of yours?"

"Joey…" Marik stood up, trying to calm Joey down somehow. "Yes, I was promised the Millennium Puzzle if I spent time with you. But then I actually started to 'like' spending time with you, it wasn't all a lie…"

Joey shook his head in frustration. "No! I don't believe you! All you ever do is lie to me! I want you out of this house by the time I get back!" He turned around to stomp out of the room. 

Marik ran after him. "Where are you going??"

"To talk with a few of my 'friends'…"

Maybe, Marik thought as he watched Joey leave, he wouldn't have to choose between Joey and the Puzzle after all, for he would never have either. 

**

Joey found them in the park, and it escalated from bad to ugly rather quickly after that. Joey did a lot of shouting and threatening to pound Yami into the ground, Yugi and Ryou did a lot of holding Joey back from pounding Yami into the ground. Bakura threatened terrible things should Joey so much as touch Yami, and Yami, for the most part, just stood there. 

"What were you thinking?!" Joey shouted at Yami, hands balled into fists and struggling against Yugi and Ryou's hold. "Offering that freak the Millennium Puzzle?! Bribing him to date me or what?"

"We were trying to help," Yami said calmly. "We thought you two would be alright together, but Marik needed a little incentive." 

"I can handle things on my own!" Joey said. "I don't need anyone setting things up for me! How pathetic do you think I am?!"

"Pretty pathetic," Bakura said, folding his arms and giving Joey a pitying look. 

"Joeyyyy," Yugi whined, still holding Joey back, now trying to keep him from pounding on Bakura, "we weren't trying to insult you, we were worried about you, and-"

"And you, Yugi!" Joey snapped, turning on him. "I thought I could count on you! All that talk about me getting to know Marik was a whole lot of bullshit, wasn't it? You were just tired of me interrupting your Seto-fuck-time." He shrugged Yugi and Ryou off of him. He shook his head, calming down a little. "I can't believe you guys." He turned around, and walked away.

They watched him go, all a little morose. "We really put our foot in it this time, haven't we?" Ryou murmured. 

**

Marik was waiting at the edge of the park for Joey. Glaring at him, Joey walked right past. "I don't want to talk to you, Marik."

"I know." Marik walked a step behind him. "But I'm afraid I did mean what I said. I do like spending time with you. I actually thought we had a chance."

"Yeah, well we'll never know now, will we?" Joey muttered.

"I guess not." Marik's grip tightened on the Millennium Rod that he held in his hand. "The problem is, I really don't think I want to let you go yet." He held out the Rod toward Joey, feeling the familiar powers well up and burst forth, the Item glowing in brilliant white and gold.

Joey halted, and turned around. His eyes were blank, his mind locked away. His expression was empty, the look of a puppet awaiting its next order. Joey was Marik's mind slave once more.

"You have to believe me, this was a last resort," Marik said. Joey's expression remained unchanged. "Well, come on then." And Marik led his mind slave home.  


	14. Not the Same

Not the Same

**

"In here, Joey…" Marik opened the door to his room, leading his little mind slave in. Joey hadn't so much as twitched without permission since Marik had used the Millennium Rod on him. But then, why would he? He was a perfect, obedient mind slave.

And Marik hated him that way. Quiet, obedient; it just didn't suit Joey properly. Marik wasn't sure, but he thought he might have preferred having Joey mad and yelling at him. At least he was himself that way.

Marik closed the door, sitting down on the bed and watching Joey. Conceivably, if Marik told Joey not to move, Joey would remain in the same position for hours, days even, until he passed out from dehydration or something. Anything Marik wanted from Joey, all he had to do was say so. 

And normally he had no problem with taking advantage of people like that. But somehow, the thought of doing that to Joey made him feel a little queasy. 

"I didn't want to do this," Marik finally said. "If you'd just _listened_. If you'd…" He shook his head. "Hell, who am I kidding? This is all _my_ fault, isn't it? My fault…" He gestured for Joey to come over, and Joey obediently did. "I dunno if you can hear me in there. I mean, _really_ hear me. But if you can, I'm sorry."

But not sorry enough to release Joey. Not yet. He didn't want to lose him. Somehow… there had to be a way to make this better. He just hadn't thought of it yet.

Marik had never wondered before if his mind slaves' still had a part of their mind that was aware. Did they know what he was doing to them? Marik didn't like that idea… that deep in his mind, Joey was aware. Aware and screaming.  

**

"How could you do this?!" Ruby's hands closed around Obelisk's neck, shaking the mini-god monster like a rag doll. "How could you let him use the Millennium Rod on Joey like that?!"

Obelisk choked and clawed at her hands. "It's not… like I had… a choice!" 

Ruby dropped Obelisk on the ground, folding her arms and glaring at him menacing. Though she was a weaker creature than Obelisk, he still found himself cowering before her fury. "You blocked the powers of the Millennium Item before."

"Yeah, but I knew they were coming!" Obelisk rubbed at his throat; it was probably going to bruise. "It took all my strength to block the power before; and then I had advanced warning. I didn't know he was going to do this! I couldn't block the Rod when the power was already in full swing!" 

Ruby paced the length of the chamber. She was so pissed, she was considering changing into her dragon form and frying someone. Preferably Marik. But that wasn't going to help Joey.

In fact, there didn't appear to be anything she could do to help Joey. Not in his current mind-enslaved state. She could only hope Joey's friends raised enough of a stink to get Marik to let Joey go. 

"So…" Obelisk sounded like he was really tentative to talk to her. "…what do we do now?"

Ruby sighed in frustration, folding her arms. "We wait." 

**

Yugi hung up the phone. "Serenity says he hasn't been home yet." 

Seto shrugged and turned the page of the newspaper, not really giving a damn. Yugi clung to Seto's arm. 

"It's getting late, Seto…" Yugi said. "Aren't you even a bit worried about Joey?"

"No," Seto said calmly, not daring to look at his little boyfriend. He knew Yugi's pleading eyes would be his undoing and he'd agree to whatever it was Yugi wanted. 

"Something bad might have happened to him!" Yugi continued. "I want to go look for him."

"Fine," Kaiba said. "Have a nice time."

"Can I borrow the car?"

Kaiba sighed, setting down the paper, staring up at the ceiling so as not to look at Yugi's begging face. "You can't even see over the dashboard."

"I'll take the other one then," Yugi said.

"It's out of gas." 

"The limo?"

"In the repair shop for the week." 

"The motorcycle?"

"The helmet doesn't fit you." 

"The _van_?" 

"You couldn't reach the gas pedal, remember?"

Yugi gave a frustrated sigh, tugging on Seto's arm. "_Pleeeeaaaasseee?_" 

Kaiba closed his eyes, then gave in and looked down at Yugi. Having bright sparkling violet eyes that pleading and innocent should be a crime. Seto knew he'd have no hope of refusing now. "Come on then; I'll drive you."

"Yay!"  


	15. Lost in Thought

Author's note: Umm… as I write this I realize there's a bunch of surrealism in this chapter. Hope everyone understands it… I'm really not trying to confuse anyone.

**

Lost in Thought

Joey knew there was _something_ wrong… but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what it was. He felt like he was floating in a sea of swathing black silk; it was soft and dark, dreamlike. Was he dreaming?

He could be. It was like being asleep, but awake enough to know he was asleep. And he felt so safe, except for that nagging _wrongness_. Something was wrong. 

Maybe he ought to wake up, he decided. How he was to do that was another story. Upward, he could see light. So he swam towards that. 

The farther he went, the more it hurt. The darkness pushed him back, no longer gentle, trying to force him away from that tiny gleam he assumed to be consciousness. It burned, he couldn't breathe, the blackness tugged him back and shoved him away, and for a moment he let it. He drifted backwards and the pain lessened. He could float here in comfort and not be bothered by anything.

Except the _wrongness_. Why wouldn't the wrongness leave him? If he was asleep, then let him sleep. What was that old saying? _Let sleeping dogs lie._

Little pieces of thought clicked and linked together, forming the tracks for his train of thought to run on. Dogs? Puppy. Someone called him that. Someone he knew, and rather disliked. But a friend of his was dating that someone-he-disliked. Except he was mad at that friend of his at the moment. Why was he mad at them? 

The darkness around him was pulsing, guiding him forward. With each resurfacing memory he pulled from the dark, he got a little closer to the light. It was like a game now, a game to remember, to reach the gleaming light before the darkness pulled him back again.

_Why was he mad at them?_ Because… because they'd tried to set him up with someone. And that someone… was Marik.

He was close to the light now, he could almost reach out and touch it, and if he did, maybe he'd wake up. 

_Marik_. Marik had done something to him. Something wrong. That's where the wrongness came from. He was here in the darkness, because of Marik.

His hand touched the light, and the light enfolded him. It was thick, harsh, gripping him more cruelly than the blackness had ever done. 

And Joey opened his eyes.

**

At first he couldn't figure out what was happening. Joey woke up to find himself in a room that was definitely not his. And he was sitting up, which was generally not a position he found himself waking up in. Weirdest of all, he found he couldn't move. 

Marik was sitting beside him, and Joey would have glared at him if he could get his facial expression to change. Marik had done this to him. Marik had done the mind-slave thingy on him. AGAIN! 

 _You creep, just wait until I figure out how to make my arms move, I'm going to strangle you!_

Joey felt like he was shouting at him, but his lips hadn't moved, no sound had come out. The only one who could hear him was himself. Joey was awake, aware of everything around him, but disconnected from his own body. He'd made himself aware, but he hadn't regained his freedom. 

_Great, so I gotta sit here and watch while my body does whatever HE tells it to do._

He almost preferred the mind-numbing blackness that had enfolded him earlier. At least there in the darkness of his mind, he didn't have to experience the humiliation of being slave to a psycho. And- hey, was Marik crying? 

Joey couldn't do anything as Marik reached out and hugged him close. He hadn't been 'told' to do anything, so he sat there stiff and unmoving as Marik held him tight and cried.

_Hey wait a minute, why are_ you _crying? I should be the one crying, I'm the mind slave, remember? Aw come on, don't do that…_

"I just didn't want to lose you, I panicked!" Marik was saying, holding Joey in a tight embrace. Joey couldn't even hold him back to reassure him. "But now I can't even let you go… you'd run away and I'd never see you again." 

_No I wouldn't! Well, yeah I probably would, but only because you're such a jerk for using that Millennium Rod on me!_

"Guess I blew my only chance, didn't I?" Marik continued, speaking to Joey but more talking to himself, since as far as he knew Joey couldn't hear a word he said, trapped in his own mind by the power of the Millennium Rod. "I'm sorry, though. For what I did, not just that you found out about it."

_Maybe if you'd let me freakin' TALK, I'd forgive you!_

Marik wiped at his eyes, regaining his composure. He leaned forward and kissed Joey briefly, despite the fact that he got no response from it. "I suppose it doesn't really matter anyway. Probably wouldn't have worked out, I just… can't change the way I am."

_…do I want you to?_

That question rolled around in Joey's mind for a while, and he was contented to sit back and muse on it for a while. He didn't think he'd be stuck as a mind-slave for too long. Once his friends found out about this, Marik was toast. 

And then… Joey would decide whether or not to forgive what was left of him. 

**

Ishizu smiled as she opened the door to find Yugi and Seto on her doorstep. "Yes, Joey is here. Follow me, gentlemen." 

"I hate it when she does that," Yugi whispered to Seto as they entered the home of Ishizu and Marik. "Can't she just let me ask the question before she answers it? Just as a common courtesy…" 

"Down the hall, last door on the right," Ishizu said, pointing. Seto and Yugi both gave her odd glances as they continued down the hallway. She smiled at them, then called after them, "Oh, and Seto? Thank you for talking some sense into Marik." 

Seto gave her a weird look, then ignored her as he followed Yugi toward Marik's room. 


	16. Between Friends

Between Friends

**

"I can't believe you did this to him again!" Yugi waved his hand in front of Joey's face, as if trying to break him out of the blank-eyed trance. Joey didn't even blink. 

"Puppy's not going to be happy when he gets out of that…" Seto commented, folding his arms and watching with mild interest. 

"I know…" Marik said, frowning. "It just sort of… happened."

Yugi gave Marik a dark look. "Enslaving someone's mind using an ancient magical item doesn't just _happen_. Especially not when you're involved. So go ahead; un-enslave him."

Marik cringed and fidgeted with the Millennium Rod. Yugi tapped his foot impatiently.

"Well??" Yugi demanded. "Go ahead."

Marik glanced at Seto. "Bossy little thing, isn't he?"

Seto shrugged. "Picked it up from me, I think." And he looked oddly proud of it, too. 

"Would you two quit talking about me like I'm not here?!" Yugi shouted.

"Calm down, Yugi," Seto said mildly. "We meant no insult."

"I sorta did," Marik commented. Seto shot him a dark look. "Anyway, everything is fine. You two don't really need to be here." 

"How can you say everything is fine?" Yugi asked. "Joey's a zombie!"

"I kind of like him this way," Seto said, knocking softly on Joey's head. "He's quiet. It's a nice change."

"Seto! If you're not going to be helpful, you can just leave," Yugi said with a pout.

"There he goes with the bossy again…" Marik sighed. 

"I'm not going to hold him back if he decides to kill you," Seto commented lightly. 

Marik blinked at Seto in mock-surprise. "Would sweet, innocent little Yugi actually try to kill someone?" 

Seto raised an eyebrow. "Try calling him 'puny'. Just try. You'll see how sweet and innocent he really is." 

"You two are getting off the subject," Yugi put in, sounding cranky. "And Joey's still mind-enslaved! When are you going to fix that?" 

"As… soon as I figure out how to make Joey not hate me," Marik answered. "It may be a while." 

"If you're trying to make him not hate you, you're really going about it the wrong way," Yugi said. 

"Is making him 'wake-up' not hating you really that important?" Seto asked.

"Yes," Marik said. "Though I think I'll be lucky if he doesn't just run away the moment I un-enslave him."

"Marik, you're really not earning any points the longer you keep him under your power," Seto said. "If you want him to not hate you, you're going to have to trust him some. Though even I loathe to put too much trust in a puppy like him…"

Yugi poked Seto, glaring at him. Seto just shrugged. 

"But he'll run away…" Marik murmured sadly.

"So let him, if he wants to," said Seto. "You may have to start over from the beginning with Joey, since you've made such a mess of it. Be on good behavior and win his trust. Honestly, without the use of your Millennium Rod. Trust is… important in relationships."

Both Yugi and Marik were looking at him oddly now. 

"Try it," Seto advised. And having seemed to have filled his socializing quota for the day, he shrugged and headed for the door. 

"But Seto!" Yugi said, hurrying after his boyfriend. "We have to stay until Marik lets Joey go! We can't just leave him like this."

"Give it a rest for the day, Yugi," Seto said. "This one Marik will have to decide on his own. We can always come back tomorrow."  

"Where'd you come up with all that 'trust is important' stuff?"

"I think I've listened to one too many of Tea's 'friendship' speeches."

Yugi smiled. "You said you liked her speeches."

"I said I preferred them over those damn 'heart of the cards' speeches," Seto said. "If I have to listen to Yami babble about his cards one more time, I may have to choke him."  

Marik watched them walk away, silently considering. Maybe there was no way of fixing the current mess he'd created after all. He looked over at Joey, still sitting there still and silent as if nothing had happened. Well he couldn't very well know anything _had_ happened, now could he?

But maybe Seto was right. If Joey wanted to run away, Marik would let him. At least Marik could do _one_ thing to make Joey happy, even if he never saw him again afterward. 

"Please don't make me regret this," Marik said, picking up the Millennium Rod. He gathered up his courage, took a deep breath, and revoked the ancient magic holding Joey's mind captive, setting him free.

Joey blinked, shook his head, blinked some more and looked around his surroundings. Marik held his breath without realizing he was doing so. 

Joey turned to look at Marik, eyes narrowing in a glare. "Why you little-!" And he lunged at Marik, tackling and pinning him to the floor.


	17. How Many Blondes

How Many Blondes Does It Take To Screw In A Light Bulb?

**

"-creepy, evil, freakish little weasel!" Joey yelled, hitting Marik to punctuate each word. "What the heck were you thinking, mind-enslaving me?! Did you think it was funny or something?!"

"Ow ow ow!" Marik yelped, scrambling to get away. It didn't work so well, considered he was pretty well pinned down. "No! I didn't think it was funny, I just didn't want you to go away!"  

"Yeah, well when I'm through you'll hope to never see me again!" Joey yelled at him. "It's not fun being mind-enslaved! It's not just degrading, it's boring!" He grabbed the Millennium Rod in Marik's hands, trying to pull it away from him. "Give me that! After all the trouble I went through to get it back for you, then you go and use the damned thing against me! One day I hope you find out what it's like-"

Joey pulled the Millennium Rod from Marik's grip. The instant the Millennium Item left Marik's hand, the eye symbol began to glow brightly golden. Joey cringed and looked away, the Rod's light too bright to look at. It lasted only a moment, and Joey put the Millennium Item down, frowning at the unexpected reaction.

It was then that he noticed Marik wasn't struggling to get away anymore. Joey blinked, and looked down at the boy he had pinned.

Marik was staring blankly up at him, not a single spark of recognition in his eyes. Mind-enslaved, most definitely.

"Crap!" Joey yelped, jumping up. Marik didn't so much as twitch. Joey grabbed the Millennium Rod and shook it. "Come on, come on… Isn't there some sort of on/off switch on this thing? A reverse gear? Emergency shut-down??" The Millennium Rod showed about as much response as Marik did. Meaning nothing. 

"Okay, focus," Joey instructed himself, starting to pace across the room. "You just used Marik's own Millennium Rod to enslave his mind. You don't know how to turn it off. What to do, what to do…" He looked down at Marik, who was still lying on the floor, staring up with that blank-eyed gaze. "Aw, don't look at me that way! I didn't mean to!"

Well, if he couldn't get the Millennium Item to work and change Marik back, surely one of the spirits of the Millennium Items could. "Come on, Marik, we're gonna go get you fixed. And _then_ I'll finish yelling at you." 

** 

Someone was pounding on the front door. Seto frowned, opening his eyes and peering blurrily at the clock. He hoped whoever was at the door this late at night was someone that wouldn't be missed. Because he was going to _kill_ them. 

Seto got dressed and went downstairs, still grumbling irritably. It didn't help when he found Joey Wheeler standing outside. Definitely someone that would be missed if he mysteriously vanished. Damn.

"Hey Kaiba, is Yugi here?" Joey asked in a rush.

"Puppy." Kaiba glared at him. "If I throw a stick, will you go away?" 

"Kaiba!" Joey yelled. "Get Yugi! This is an emergency!" 

"What kind of emergency?" Kaiba wasn't in too big a hurry to go back upstairs and wake Yugi. 

"The kind where I accidentally used a Millennium Item to mind-enslave Marik!" Joey said. He moved to one side to show Marik standing behind him, blank-eyed and obedient. "I went to Yami's, but nobody was home!"

Seto yawned. "Yami and Bakura are out of town for the weekend. They'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Now, go away." He closed the door in Joey's face, locking it and going back upstairs.

Yugi was half-awake when Seto came back to the bedroom. "…who was it?" he asked with a yawn.

"Stray dog," Kaiba muttered, climbing back into bed and cuddling Yugi close. Yugi was too sleepy to figure out what Kaiba meant by that, and so they both went back to sleep.

**

Joey sighed and glanced back at his mind-slave. "Guess you're staying with me until tomorrow then. When Yami and Bakura get back, we'll get them to fix this."

Marik just stood there.

"God, you're creepy like this," Joey muttered. "Come on then." 

Marik followed him back home, calm and obediently. Serenity was already asleep when they got to the Wheeler residence, so Joey had Marik follow him to his room. Wouldn't do to have Serenity wake up in the morning to find zombie-like Marik standing in their living room. 

Joey changed into his pajamas, turning out the light and climbing into bed. In the dark, he could make out the figure of Marik standing by the door, unmoving. Not really something _he_ wanted to wake up to, either. 

"Come here then," Joey ordered, moving over to make space in the bed for Marik. "I dunno if you can sleep, but you can at least try to get comfortable."  

Marik walked forward in the dark, climbing into bed beside Joey. 

"I'll try not to kick ya out of bed in my sleep," Joey promised, cuddling close to Marik. Just like a big teddy bear, Marik was. Joey fell asleep smiling. 

**

Author's note: Whew! Finally got this chapter up. Sorry for the wait, peoples! Only one more chapter left to go! 


	18. Blonde Jokes Aren't Funny

Author's Note: This shall be the last chapter in the longest story I have written so far. It's late, I'm tired, and I'm going to be out of town for a day or two starting tomorrow. So this is all you get for a while! Thank you incredibly muchness to everyone who read and reviewed, and a special thanks to my friend Cola-kitty! Hope you enjoyed your present, Cola! (And Mick, if you're reading this)

Blonde Jokes Aren't Funny

**

"Okay. Tell me again what happened?" Yami asked, poking Marik in the forehead skeptically. 

Joey had been waiting for Yami and Bakura when they'd gotten home from their mini-vacation that day. Marik had been standing beside him, staring off into space with that creepy expression on his face. It had taken Yami ten minutes to get Joey to calm down and speak slowly so he could understand him. Bakura had just seemed to find the idea of a mind-enslaved Marik intensely funny, and had had to go into another room so he could finish his laughing fit. 

"I told you already!" Joey said. "I grabbed the Millennium Rod from him, it started to do this bright glowing thing and all of a sudden, Marik was a zombie! And I didn't know how to change him back!"

"Why would you want to?" Bakura asked, coming back into the room. He was still grinning, but seemed to have his amusement back under control. "Think of all the fun you could have with him this way." 

"But I don't want him to be my mind slave!" Joey protested. "I want him-"

Yami and Bakura gave him matching interested expressions.

"-back to normal…" Joey finished quietly. "Come on, Yami, you were the Pharaoh! Can't you do something?" 

"I don't know…" Yami said, studying Marik thoughtfully. "You brought the Millennium Item?"

Joey handed the Millennium Rod to Yami. The Pharaoh took it, twirling it a little while he thought.

"Well," Yami said finally, "I can certainly try. There is an ancient magic I know, quite powerful, that calls upon a great mysterious force to unlock the spell of the Millennium Items and undo whatever it is you caused."

"And if that doesn't work," Bakura added, "we'll just hit Marik on the head a few times with the Millennium Rod, see if that fixes it." 

Yami shot a glare at Bakura. "Come on Bakura, you can help me with this."

"Do I have to?" Bakura muttered. "Why can't we just leave Marik this way? He'd make a nice coat rack." He pulled off his jacket and draped it over Marik's head. 

"Quit fooling around!" Joey snapped at Bakura, grabbing the jacket off Marik's head. "Just help Yami fix him!"

"Alright already…" Bakura glanced at Yami. "Ready then?"

Yami nodded, holding up the Millennium Puzzle and Millennium Rod. Bakura similarly raised the Millennium Ring. All together, the three Millennium Items began to glow, filling the room with soft golden light. It lasted only a moment, before the light died down again.

Joey blinked. "What? Was that it?"

Yami smiled at him. "See for yourself." 

Joey looked over at Marik. Marik was rubbing at his head, groaning softly. The spell had been broken.

"You're back!" Joey cried, tackling Marik.

"Ah!" Marik blinked at Joey, having suddenly ended up on the floor again, once again pinned. "Uhh… miss me?" 

Yami and Bakura watched in amusement as Marik tried to pry himself out of Joey's hug. It wasn't exactly that Marik _minded_ his current position, but it was a little hard to breathe…

"Joey," Yami said. "We know you're very happy to have Marik back, but do you supposed we could talk to him for a minute?"

"Er…" Joey sat up, though he still had Marik pinned beneath him. "What about?"

"The wisdom of using Millennium Items properly," Yami said. "It'll only take a moment. There's cherry sherbet in the fridge if you want any…" 

"Alright! I'm there!" Joey jumped up and practically ran for the door. "Don't hurt Marik too much though, alright? He's been through a lot…" 

Marik smiled faintly as he watched Joey run out of the room. After a few moments he realized he'd been staring with that stupid look on his face, and he stood up to face Yami and Bakura.

Yami was smirking. "You really love him, don't you?"

"Ahh…" Marik laughed in a faintly embarrassed way, nodding. "Yeah. Guess so."

"You going to tell him?" Yami asked.

"That I love him?"

Bakura shook his head. "That you were faking being mind-enslaved." 

Marik flashed his wicked grin. "Oh, that. No way. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell him either… our little secret, okay? Nice touch with making the Millennium Items glow like that, by the way. Very convincing." 

Yami shrugged. "I'm actually rather surprised you managed to keep that stupid blank look on your face for so long without cracking."

"It wasn't easy." Marik headed for the door, shooting Bakura a glare over his shoulder. "And I would NOT make a good coat rack!" 

Yami and Bakura watched him head down to the kitchen. Finally Bakura picked up his coat off the floor, glancing at Yami. "Well? What do you think?"

Yami smiled, nodding. "Yeah. I think they'll do just fine together."

**

Marik found Joey sitting cross-legged on the kitchen countertop, digging into a carton of cherry sherbet with a spoon. "Hey."

Joey waved at him. "Hey. How you feeling?"

Marik stretched, listening to the joints pop with a certain amount of pleasure. "A little stiff, but not too bad. So… you still mad at me?"

"Nah, not so much," Joey said, eating another spoonful of sherbet. "You mind-slave me, I mind-slave you; I figure we're even." 

"And you're not mad about me trying to get the Millennium Puzzle?" Marik asked.

"Oh right…" Joey looked thoughtful. "There is still that, isn't there? Tell you what…" he grinned, "if we ever have sex, I get to be on top first time. And I'll forgive you. Sound fair?" 

Marik grinned in return. "Sounds good to me." He gestured to the container of cherry sherbet. "Can I have some of that?" 

Joey handed him a spoon, and together they dug into the carton of sherbet. And things were good. 

**

Umm… the end. Yeah. 


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